In some of these huts--they surely deserved a better title--the men threw themselves down at night on the ground, which was covered with blankets, rubber coats, and any material the jovial occupants could find to keep out the dampness. Some, more pretentious, constructed bunks or boxes round the sides, which were as comfortable as a spring bed would be at home. It was quite common to find home-made chairs, benches and tables, round which they gathered when off duty, and told stories or discussed the situation. The walls were papered with illustrations cut from newspapers, which added to the charms of the dwelling. {104} [Illustration: 0112] But the greater number shivered under canvas tents, feeling keenly the light snows and rains, followed by days of thaw and sunshine, which were so frequent. To add to the dreariness of their surroundings, the funeral dirge was often heard, as the dead were carried out from hospital, who had succumbed to that apparently {105}simple disease, the measles, but which leaves its victim feeble, exhausted, and unable to rally. To a new recruit, or to one who is full of sensibility, as Ralph was, these sights were particularly depressing. [Illustration: 0113] A snowstorm during the day had been succeeded by a windy, cold night. Ralph had been writing to his mother, and while he took care to make every word as cheerful as he could, and never to mention his discomforts, vet the mother heart between the lines, and knew her boy was homesick, pining for her, as she, alas! was longing for the loving caress and the sound of his voice. As he pushed back the stool which had answered for a writing desk, the wind gave a sudden whirl and lifted the canvas, sending a shower of sleet over him which made him shiver. “The winter here is full as cold and disagreeable as up North!” he said. “I thought this was a land of perpetual sunshine and flowers!” He {106}peered out at the sentry, who hugged his great coat closer, as he paced to and fro. He fancied he saw in the gloom a man and horse, and heard the sharp challenge-- “Halt! Who goes there?” The horseman drew up, and replied promptly-- “A messenger from General Shields, with dispatches for Colonel Hopkins. I must deliver them at once.” [Illustration: 0114] The sentinel called--“Sergeant of the guard--post number five--a message from headquarters!” The words were passed along the line of guards, until it reached the sergeant, who came instantly. He carried the papers to his colonel, who read them hastily, and signed each one, handing them back to the orderly, who rode swiftly away. Ralph was by this time outside his tent, unmindful of the sleet {107}which tore his flesh like sharp-pointed arrows. He longed to know what those dispatches signified, but his curiosity had to remain unsatisfied, and he went back to his tent to try to sleep, as well as he could, for the biting wind that forced its way into every crevice. [Illustration: 0115]